Projected impact of heat on mortality and labour productivity under climate change in Switzerland

Extreme temperatures have reached unprecedented levels in many regions of the globe due to climate change, and a further increase is expected. Besides other consequences, high temperatures increase the mortality risk and severely affect the labour productivity of workers. We perform a high-resolution spatial analysis to assess the impacts of heat on mortality and labour productivity in Switzerland and project their development under different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, considering that no socio-economic changes take place. The model is based on the risk framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which combines the three risk components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. We model the two impact categories in the same spatially explicit framework, and we integrate uncertainties into the analysis by a Monte Carlo simulation. We model first that about 658 deaths are associated with heat exposure currently each year in Switzerland. Second, the economic costs caused by losses in labour productivity amount to around CHF 665 million (approx. USD 700 million) per year. Should we remain on an RCP8.5 emissions pathway, these values may double (for mortality) or even triple (for labour productivity) by the end of the century. Under an RCP2.6 scenario impacts are expected to slightly increase and peak around mid-century, when climate is assumed to stop warming. Even though uncertainties in the model are large, the underlying trend in impacts is unequivocal. The results of the study are valuable information for political discussions and allow for a better understanding of the cost of inaction

Appraisal of Smart Grid Modeling and Simulation Tools

Abstract-The rising Smart grid behind today's electricity supply introduces many challenges. One characteristic is the organization of a range of software that drive these new systems at different domains (generation, transmission, distribution and consumption) and nodes of the Smart grid network. Managing such concerted, distributed, evolving and heterogeneous scheme of Systems requires a systematic move towards to support more standardized processes and commodities to accomplish the Smart grid hallucination. This paper presents analysis of smart grid modeling and simulation tools. The smart grid is a recent trend to minimize the losses and maximize the customers. Now a day's Smart grid is controlled, protected and run by various types of simulation software's .So this papers is analysis software's having advantages, disadvantages, performance calculation's and cost wise

MENINGKATKAN PENGETAHUAN MENGENAI PENANGANAN DIARE PADA ANAK MELALUI PENYULUHAN KESEHATAN

ABSTRAKDiare merupakan gangguan buang air besar dengan frekuensi lebih dari 3 kali sehari, konsistensi cair, bisa disertai darah dan atau lender. Tujuan Kegiatan: Untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan orang tua dalam penanganan diare pada anak dengan benar dan salah satu terapi komplementernya adalah menggunakan madu. Metode Kegiatan: Penyuluhan kesehatan dengan sasaran 15 anak dan orang tua yang dilakukan secara online dengan Google Meet. Hasil Kegiatan: terdapat 14 (93,3%) orang tua (ayah/ibu) yang memahami mengenai penanganan diare pada anak dan 1 (6,6%) orang tua (ayah/ibu) yang aktif bertanya dalam kegiatan. Kata kunci: diare; anak; penyuluhan kesehatan ABSTRACTDiarrhea is a bowel disorder with a frequency of more than 3 times a day, liquid consistency, can be accompanied by blood and / or mucus. Activity Objective: To increase parents' knowledge in handling diarrhea in children properly and one of the complementary therapies is using honey. Activity Method: Health education targeting 15 children and parents conducted online with Google Meet. Activity Results: there were 14 (93.3%) parents (father / mother) who understood the handling of diarrhea in children and 1 (6.6%) parents (father / mother) who actively asked questions in activities. Key words: diarrhea; children; health educatio

Evaluation of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Piper sylvaticum (Roxb.) stem by experimental and computational approaches

Piper sylvaticum Roxb., (Family: Piperaceae), commonly known as pahaari peepal, is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of rheumatic pain, headache, asthma, chronic cough, diarrhea, and wounds. To provide scientific proof for its traditional use, the present study was designed to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of methanol extract of P. sylvaticum stem (MEPSS) in pain models. Additionally, computational studies viz. molecular docking, ADME and toxicological property predictions were performed to identify the potent phytochemicals of this plant for antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities with good oral bioavailability and safety features. Quantitative phytochemical analysis of MEPSS was performed using established protocols. The antinociceptive activity was determined using acetic acid and formalin test in mice at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg while paw edema induced by carrageenan used for anti-inflammatory activity. Molecular docking study was performed by Schrödinger Maestro 10.1 whereas the SwissADME and admetSAR were used for ADME and toxicity prediction respectively. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of MEPSS were 93.39 and 53.74 mg gallic acid and quercetin equivalent/g of extract respectively. The methanol extract exhibited significant and dose-dependent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in experimental pain models. Also, our docking study showed that piperine, piperlonguminine, and sylvamide have the best binding affinities to cyclooxygenase enzymes with good ADME/T properties. This study confirmed that MEPSS possess significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities which could be due to the presence of phytochemicals and three bioactive compounds (piperine, piperlonguminine, and sylvamide) were found to be most effective in computational studies.</p

Acute Low Back Pain with Radiculopathy: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in patients with acute low back pain (LBP) with radiculopathy. Background Data: Acute LBP with radiculopathy is associated with pain and disability and the important pathogenic role of inflammation. LLLT has shown significant antiinflammatory effects in many studies. Materials and Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 546 patients. Group A (182 patients) was treated with nimesulide 200 mg=day and additionally with active LLLT; group B (182 patients) was treated only with nimesulide; and group C (182 patients) was treated with nimesulide and placebo LLLT. LLLT was applied behind the involved spine segment using a stationary skin-contact method. Patients were treated 5 times weekly, for a total of 15 treatments, with the following parameters: wavelength 904 nm; frequency 5000 Hz; 100-mW average diode power; power density of 20 mW=cm 2 and dose of 3 J=cm 2 ; treatment time 150 sec at whole doses of 12 J=cm 2 . The outcomes were pain intensity measured with a visual analog scale (VAS); lumbar movement, with a modified Schober test; pain disability, with Oswestry disability score; and quality of life, with a 12-item short-form health survey questionnaire (SF-12). Subjects were evaluated before and after treatment. Statistical analyses were done with SPSS 11.5. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in all outcomes measured ( p &lt; 0.001), but were larger in group A than in B ( p &lt; 0.0005) and C ( p &lt; 0.0005). The results in group C were better than in group B ( p &lt; 0.0005). Conclusions: The results of this study show better improvement in acute LBP treated with LLLT used as additional therapy

Gene Discovery in the Threatened Elkhorn Coral: 454 Sequencing of the Acropora palmata Transcriptome

BACKGROUND: Cnidarians, including corals and anemones, offer unique insights into metazoan evolution because they harbor genetic similarities with vertebrates beyond that found in model invertebrates and retain genes known only from non-metazoans. Cataloging genes expressed in Acropora palmata, a foundation-species of reefs in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, will advance our understanding of the genetic basis of ecologically important traits in corals and comes at a time when sequencing efforts in other cnidarians allow for multi-species comparisons. RESULTS: A cDNA library from a sample enriched for symbiont free larval tissue was sequenced on the 454 GS-FLX platform. Over 960,000 reads were obtained and assembled into 42,630 contigs. Annotation data was acquired for 57% of the assembled sequences. Analysis of the assembled sequences indicated that 83-100% of all A. palmata transcripts were tagged, and provided a rough estimate of the total number genes expressed in our samples (~18,000-20,000). The coral annotation data contained many of the same molecular components as in the Bilateria, particularly in pathways associated with oxidative stress and DNA damage repair, and provided evidence that homologs of p53, a key player in DNA repair pathways, has experienced selection along the branch separating Cnidaria and Bilateria. Transcriptome wide screens of paralog groups and transition/transversion ratios highlighted genes including: green fluorescent proteins, carbonic anhydrase, and oxidative stress proteins; and functional groups involved in protein and nucleic acid metabolism, and the formation of structural molecules. These results provide a starting point for study of adaptive evolution in corals. CONCLUSIONS: Currently available transcriptome data now make comparative studies of the mechanisms underlying coral's evolutionary success possible. Here we identified candidate genes that enable corals to maintain genomic integrity despite considerable exposure to genotoxic stress over long life spans, and showed conservation of important physiological pathways between corals and bilaterians

May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension

Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 74.9% of screenees provided three BP readings. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. 1 504 963 individuals (mean age 45.3 years; 52.4% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 502 079 (33.4%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 59.5% were aware of their diagnosis and 55.3% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 60.0% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 33.2% were controlled. We detected 224 285 individuals with untreated hypertension and 111 214 individuals with inadequately treated (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) hypertension. Conclusion May Measurement Month expanded significantly compared with 2017, including more participants in more countries. The campaign identified over 335 000 adults with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. In the absence of systematic screening programmes, MMM was effective at raising awareness at least among these individuals at risk

The role of open-air inhalatoria in the air quality improvement in spa towns

Objectives: The present study was aimed at evaluating microbiological contamination of air in Ciechocinek and Ino­wro­cław – Polish lowland spa towns. Additionally, the impact of open-air inhalatoria on the quality of air was evaluated. Material and Methods: Air samples were collected seasonally in the urban areas, in the recreation areas and in the vicinity of inhalatoria in both towns using impaction. The numbers of mesophilic bacteria, staphylococci, hemolytic bacteria and actinomycetes were determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/02. The number of moulds was determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/03. Results: While the highest numbers of microorganisms were noted at the sites located in the urban areas, the lowest numbers were noted in the vicinity of the open-air inhalatoria. In all the investigated air samples the values of bioaerosol concentrations were below the recommended TLVs (≤ 5000 CFU×m–3 for both bacteria and fungi in outdoor environments). Location of the sampling site was invariably a decisive factor in determining the number of microorganisms in the air. Conclusions: The aerosol which is formed in the open-air inhalatoria has a positive influence on microbiological air quality. Owing to a unique microclimate and low air contamination, Ciechocinek and Inowrocław comply with all necessary requirements set for health resorts specializing in treating upper respiratory tract infections

Endopyelotomy. Prognostic factors and patient selection.

Although clearly a valid alternative to dismembered pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction in adults, endo(uretero)pyelotomy has not been universally accepted in the general urologic community because of the 10% to 30% inferior success rate and the concern regarding hemorrhagic complications. Identification of prognostic factors for success and complications are therefore of primary importance. The length of stricture, the grade of hydronephrosis, and the level of renal function are well recognized prognostic factors. Crossing vessels also play a role, and in association with the grade of hydronephrosis, they seem to be a major prognosticator of outcome. With attention to such prognostic factors, and appropriate patient selection, results can now approach the gold standard of dismembered pyeloplasty